SNUB ISLAND

GISELE GETS RACY

Spotify has now resolved the issue but Harry trails Ed Sheeran in streaming figuresCredit: Reuters

“The potential ramifications are big and it’s likely he has missed out on hundreds of thousands of streams as a result. That could really affect his chart position come Friday.

“He is No1 at the moment but that’s only because his streaming stats haven’t been included yet, and they have more weight.

“Harry’s launch is one of the industry’s biggest this year and everyone expected him to hit the ground running by topping the charts.”

As of Sunday Harry had sold 23,816 copies of Sign Of The Times, with Ed Sheeran’s Shape Of You — the current No1 — on 6,969.

But Ed was well ahead on Spotify with 548,052 streams to Harry’s 301,925.

Sign Of The Times was only the 13th most-played track on the streaming service in the UK.

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Sign of the Times is a piano-driven rock ballad with 'deeply personal' lyricsCredit: Harry Styles

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Critics have responded favourably to the former 1Der's first solo effortCredit: PA:Press Association

1D fans were furious, including Twitter user Aurelie who demanded Spotify “give back the streams you lost”.

Spotify said the glitch was a “technical issue for both Free and Premium” users and added: “There should be no further issue, though users unable to play this track need to reinstall the Spotify application to remove the cache.”

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His sound has been likened to legends like David Bowie and Freddy MercuryCredit: Getty Images

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One Direction fans are outraged at the face Harry might miss out of chart top spotCredit: Getty Images

Sign Of The Times received favourable reviews following its release on Friday, with critics comparing the song to the likes of David Bowie and Queen.

But many One Direction fans were furious that the Spotify malfunction may have killed his chances of a No1.

Twitter user Aurelie said: @Spotify @Harry_Styles you have to give back the streams that you lost it’s not fair”.

Another named Gue added: “@Spotify @Harry_Styles Unacceptable. Two whole days of streaming lost.”